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Man hospitalized after being exposed to flesh-eating bacteria while hiking

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Updated: 3:11 AM EDT Jul 23, 2017

Man hospitalized after being exposed to flesh-eating bacteria while hiking

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Updated: 3:11 AM EDT Jul 23, 2017

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WEBVTT GARFIELD. DAYS LATER, HE AND HIS FAMILYKNEW SOMETHING WAS GRAVELYWRONG.WAYNE ATKINS TAKING SOME OF HISFIRST STEPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OFMIAMI HOSPITAL, MORE THAN AMONTH AFTER HIS FAMILY SAYS AHIKE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS TOOKA NEAR-DEADLY TURN, ALL FROMSOMETHING THAT AT FIRST SEEMEDSO MUNDANE.WAYNE'S MOTHER, KAREN GAUDREAU,A NURSE, SPOKE TO NEWS9 FROMMIAMI, WHERE SHE'S HELPING HERSON THROUGH TREATMENT.>> HE PLAYED SOME SOCCER ANDREALLY NOTICED BLISTERS AND ANAREA OF REDNESS ON HIS SHIN.CHERISE: BUT THOSE BLISTERSTURNED OUT TO BE FAR MORESERIOUS THAN WAYNE COULD'VEIMAGINED.>> HE WENT TO THE HOSPITALTHINKING HE HAD A BLISTER THATMADE HIM SICK.CHERISE: THAT WASN'T THE CASE.DOCTORS DIAGNOSING WAYNE WITH AFLESH-EATING BACTERIA KNOWN ASGROUP-A STREP.BY THE TIME KAREN ARRIVED AT HERSON'S BEDSIDE IN THE HOSPITAL,THINGS WERE GOING DOWNHILL FAST.>> BY THE TIME I GOT TO MIAMITHAT NIGHT, HE WAS ALREADY ANDLIVER FAILURE, KIDNEY FAILURE,HE HAD ACUTE RESPIRATORYDISTRESS SYNDROME, WHERE YOURLUNGS TO WITH FLUID.CHERISE: WAYNE WAS THEN PUT IN ACOMA FOR TWO AND A HALF WEEKS,DURING WHICH DOCTORS CUT AWAYSKIN AND ADMINISTEREDANTIBIOTICS, AND THANKFULLYMANAGED TO GET AHEAD OF THEINFECTION.DOCTORS TELLING HIS FAMILY AGEAND GOOD HEALTH WERE ON WAYNE'SSIDE.>> THERE ARE MANY WORST-CASESCENARIOS.CHERISE: RIGHT NOW, WAYNE'SFAMILY TELLS US THERE'S NO DATESET AS TO WHEN HE CAN LEAVE THEHOSPITAL.HE'S EXPECTED TO RECEIVE SKINGRAFTS NEXT WEEK.AFTER THAT, HE'LL CONTINUE TO BEMONITORED AND CONTINUEREHABILITATION.MEANTIME, THEY SAY HE WASPROPERLY PREPARED FOR THE HIKE,WEARING THE RECOMMENDED SHOESAND SOCKS TO PREVENT THIS FROMHAPPENING.MEANTIME, BETH DALY FROMHEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TELLSUS THERE ARE ABOUT 700 TO1000 CASES OF THIS INFECTION INTHE COUNTRY EVERY YEAR.THIS PARTICULAR STRAIN IS THESAME ONE THAT CAN CAUSE STREPTHROAT.

Man hospitalized after being exposed to flesh-eating bacteria while hiking

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Updated: 3:11 AM EDT Jul 23, 2017

MIAMI —

A South Florida man is recovering after being exposed to a flesh-eating bacteria while hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Karen Gaudreau said her son, Wayne Atkins, 32, was in New Hampshire on June 4 when he decided to go on a hike of Mount Garfield.

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Atkins got some blisters during the hike, but didn't think anything of them and returned to Miami the next day.

Karen Gaudreau

About two weeks later, he began to feel sick and was taken to the University of Miami Hospital.

Doctors discovered his organs were beginning to shut down and determined this was a result of a group A strep, flesh-eating bacteria that entered Atkin's body from the blisters and was devouring his insides.

Karen Gaudreau

Gaudreau said that by the time she was able to see her son, he was already in a coma.

Doctors were able to stop the bacteria with antibiotics and surgery, but Gaudreau said her son remains in the hospital awaiting for skin grafts to his left leg.